Street stall food is a fun part of the Korean experience, so don’t be afraid to try some out. And the variety and availability change often; keep your eye out for new and exciting taste experiences. They are everywhere; tiny tents with steam issuing forth, an ajumma or ajushi hidden inside frying, boiling or roasting away. But what are those foods that they’re cooking? And can you eat them without a case of Ajumma’s Revenge? While Korean food/hygiene standards seem fairly lax, it is pretty safe to eat street stall food. Most is cooked in either boiling water or fried in oil which one would assume would kill most of the microbes that do a number on your digestive tract. This isn’t a guarantee, however - you may want to be wary of particulary sketchy looking food stands. There are basically two categories of street food to be found in Korea - sweet and savoury.

Sweet :

Usually made from a pancake-like batter and fried. Often in cutie shapes. Fillings vary. - Pancakes f illed with cinnamon and sugar, sometimes with nuts.
- Walnut shaped tiny cakes with sneaky bean (sweet red bean) filling.
- Sneaky been filled “fish”.
- Waffle sandwiches with creamy filling, sometimes with nuts.
- Glazed strawberry skewers.
- Fresh fruit juices (usually found only in hotter months).

Savoury :
- Hotdogs in batter (aka corndogs or pogos), sometimes there are french fries rolled into the batter.
- Dok (chewy rice-based dough) on sticks, usually in a spicy bbq type sauce.
- Chicken skewers, usually in a spicy bbq type or honey-garlic type sauce.
- Processed fish on a stick. It’s the stuff they keep in boiling water, it’s kind of pale and looks like it might be cooked egg. It’s actually fishmeal, and is pretty bland.
- Korean pancakes. Batter with strips of onion, carrot, etc mixed in. - Pancake pocket with egg cooked inside. Sometimes has a bit of salsa like stuff on the egg.
- Toast. Toasted sandwiches with egg/ham/cheese in various ombinations. Best if you get them to leave off the sugary spread they like to put on it.
- Noodle soup. Often sold in little back alley booths. Much better than ramyeon noodles.
- Roasted sweet potatoes.
- Steamed white potatoes.
- Roasted nuts (usually walnuts or chestnuts).